Rose and Tradition
Rosa spp.
My grandmother and mother both loved roses and had small, traditional-
looking rose gardens. Individual roses were tidily pruned and beautifully displayed. They were solitary plants, without the interplanting of any other flowers. I found this curious as a child because this orderly rose garden contrasted with my mother’s annual beds, which were a riot of different plants and colors. While I could appreciate the beauty of individual roses, I was a much bigger fan of the wild beds. The rose beds seemed formal and rigid.
In the story of Alice in Wonderland, there is a scene where a perplexed Alice discovers the gardeners painting the roses red.20 The gardeners are terrified the queen will find out they’ve planted the wrong color roses. It is a commentary on the whims of the monarchy, but as a child it aligned with my thoughts that roses have something to do with order and rules of correctness.
I’ve come to appreciate roses as an adult, and I’ve also realized that some roses can be quite brambly and wild—it’s humans who do the pruning and make decisions about how to display them.
The rose’s energetic correspondence is tradition. As some of the first cultivated flowers, they have been used for medicine, food, perfume, and beauty. There are hundreds of varieties in a multitude of colors, so it’s no surprise that roses are intertwined with human culture and tradition. It’s enlightening to see how those traditions and associations have changed over time. Ancient Egyptians embraced roses as symbols of love and beauty, similar to current society. During the early Roman era, they were a symbol of secrets and confidentiality. Roses became a sign of celebration and revelry during the Roman Empire. Rose petals were scattered before triumphant armies and strewn at feasts and weddings. Over time, the revelry escalated and roses became associated with decadence. Then, as Christianity took over in Europe, the rose changed to a symbol of purity, often being associated with Mary, the mother of Jesus. Roses were also used as symbols of the distinct clans involved in the fifteenth-century Wars of the Roses; one family adopted the white rose and the other chose red.21
In Seven Flowers and How They Shaped the World, Jennifer Potter notes, “The real power of the rose lies in the way people from different societies and different ages have used the flower to say something about themselves, in effect transforming the rose into a symbol of deeply held values—cultural, religious, political—or simply using the rose to tell their stories.” 22
Tradition is about maintaining the existing order. It prescribes a certain way of doing and being. The customs and rituals created by tradition provide structure and a feeling of safety. Tradition helps people belong—that’s the beautiful part. However, tradition can result in bias and judgment for anyone who doesn’t embrace said tradition. There may be a rigid belief system and rules that are difficult to change. Both aspects of tradition are real; it’s not an either-or.
When focusing on the correspondence of the rose, be attentive to your familial and cultural traditions. Stepping back to notice and appreciate them, also be aware of needed changes. Mindfulness with this correspondence involves exploring methods to root yourself in tradition as you branch out to explore other ways of being in the world. Consider the energy of tradition and where on the spectrum—from safety to rigidity—your personal orientation with tradition lies.
Morning Attunement Questions
• What connections do I have with roses and tradition?
• Where else in the green world or in my life do I observe traditions?
• What does this correspondence feel like?
• How can I describe the energetic attribute of tradition in words or pictures?
• Where does this correspondence of tradition resonate most strongly in or around my body or in my life?
Daily Integration Questions
• In what ways is the world reflecting roses or tradition back to me?
• What nuances and shades of meaning do I notice about roses or tradition?
Evening Reflection Questions
• Where and how did I experience roses or tradition today?
• How did I embrace tradition today?
• What wisdom does the rose’s correspondence of tradition bring to my life?